Well, I think the main difference between Architecture and the trades, is that the trades are frequently in demand. Architecture on the other hand is often saturated with graduates that are under employed. 

Here in BC there are often grants etc... to encourage young adults to consider a career in the trades. There is often a shortage as we lose many of those in the trades to the oil fields in Alberta to make six figure incomes (though not really these days) or other boom and bust industries. 

Combine that with young and somewhat naive students (I was one of them) preferring white collar professions in urban areas, and it's not too hard to see why there are financial incentives to attract young adults to just get their hands dirty.

there are several different costs associated with becoming an architect - by far the biggest (by like a factor of 50-100x) is the cost of education and living while studying full time. secondary are the costs of ncarb registration and testing fees to complete the exams, somewhere around $2000 all total depending how long it takes and how many you pass on the first try. the actual state licensing fees are small and a negligible consideration, roughly $20-100 annually depending on the state.

i have never heard of companies paying to train architects, though some offer small limited scholarships for promising students, usually tied to an internship program. nothing that would make all the difference.

it's such a long process from college to license (8 years minimum, usually longer) and there is no way to identify ahead of time who will be a good architect if they haven't even studied it. it's not a natural talent for anyone. plus as professionals architects are generally free to change companies or go off on their own, and a company has no way to forecast what kind of talent it will need in the 10+ year time frame.

so i think it's very unlikely any company would cover any part of the academic training. but it is quite common (though not universally standard) that companies will pay the fees for qualified candidates to complete their exams and license fees. study materials are easy to access at local aia offices or many companies keep in their own library.

academic or other merit scholarships covering a b.arch degree exist at many universities - search for that. part time work can cover most of living expenses if you live off campus in a second tier city and manage your time well.

European here, apparently, if you’re a minority there is significant help available in the States...I have a Native American friend she studied arts for free  on the East Coast, did an exchange abroad in Europe (that’s how we met), a Master’s degree and PhD on the West Coast, without ever having to pay a single dime  for it. She’s a happy and very well educated home maker now, and her cappuccino art is exquisite! 

if you’re really good you can receive full ride scholarships to many good schools. You can also use your funding offers to try getting other schools to match. 

Rich parents.

Step one: don't consider 50K tuition per year as an investment.

Step two: try not to take out any loans. Work for a few years and save.  You'll thank me later when you can buy a house instead of looking at a 6-figure tuition bill 25y payment plan.

Step three: read steps one and two.

if you are that concerned about money, this profession is probably not for you, because you will not make much afterwards for a quite while. Honestly as long as you avoid expensive private universities and do public universities of your state(assuming your state has one NAAB accredited), you should be fine. I attended my state's public university, really low tuition for in-state residents.Still not too bad for out of state. If you can get scholarship, financial aids, grants, etc even better. I think the dumbest thing is to go to those 50K/year non-ivy schools in debt for architecture. Like Pratt.

Check out NAAB accredited programs at state schools. For example, KU’s program cost about 1/4th of where I went to school and their design-build program is great. Debt after school sucks. It severely limits where you can work. I couldn’t financially afford to be adventurous and work in China, Europe, or some high-designy firm for a few years after graduation because my student loan payments would’ve been more than my monthly income.

Rich parents or scholarship.

Come to the UK, study on the RIBA Studio course, which will cost a total of £21k for 7 years education, its work based study, full time wage and no real debt, £3k fees per year. You'll have 7 years professional experience, B.Arch and M.Arch. I am not sure, however, if the AIA/NAAB etc. recognise UK training as I believe relations were soured many years ago!